Browse: February 2008

Drawing cartoons for a living appears to come with the added talent of amazing improvisation skills. For evidence, try watching New Yorker cartoonists sketch out one masterpiece after another amidst the shouts and requests of young onlookers.

KidTooning is in full swing at Beaver Creek’s Humor on the Slopes, and cartoonists are getting lots of practice drawing robots, caterpillars and magical creatures.

The drawings are collaborative efforts between the cartoonist and whichever child happens to be pulling at his or her pant leg wanting to give it a go.

“I usually let the kids put down some squiggles and I go from there,” said New Yorker cartoonist Paul Noth, who, after his first hour and a half of KidTooning, was unable to recall if he’d done 15 drawings or 90.

“There have been a lot of robots,” he said. “Once I get started, I just let the kids yell out ideas of what they want.”

Carolita Johnson, like any artist, has a history behind her cartooning, one that evolves from being called “Ape Face” as a teenager, then going on to be a model, always drawing as her ultimate passion.

“When you do art for a living, it’s because it’s all you know how to do,” she said. Johnson’s favorite cartoon subject matter outside of her punchy New Yorker offerings include drawings of a dog and a monkey.

“The dog is an old dog I had and the monkey is me,” she said. “It kind of goes back to Ape Face …”

She is working on a children’s book starring the two characters.

Roth said he turns out about 10 rough drafts per week for the New Yorker and both he and Johnson approach their projects in the same way. Rather than beginning their drawings by sketching out a character’s eyes or hair, they put down a rough outline of the entire composition.

“You want to get the composition right immediately,” Johnson said. “You want to make sure it’s going to fit the joke.”

 

What better way to go full throttle into the spring season than in a snowmobile drag race? Well, OK, you may not be on the sled yourself, but you'll at least get to see the highlights from the Feb. 23 Snowmobile Drag Races at 4 Eagle Ranch on Channel 16.

Also tune in this week for an exclusive - and by exclusive, we mean NO HOLES BARRED - interview with the one and only Grace Slick.

As if that's not enough, we're squeezing a few more chuckles out of New Yorker cartoonists and comedians at Beaver Creek's Humor on the Slopes.

You know where your dial wants to go. Take it there. 

Funny that February is stretched extra long this year, because on this 29th day of what is typically Vail's coldest month, it feels about as much like spring as any day in April.

Of course, that hasn't appeared to prevent the ski crowds, whose cars are lining the Frontage Road from Lionshead to Cascade. If this is any indication, it looks like we could have a busy weekend on our hands.

Given the 40-plus temperatures, we recommended staying out of the Back Bowls until around noon when the frozen slush is thawed and soft.

Even if the thermometer hits 50 on Saturday, don't bust out your bikinis just yet, because according to the forecast, we've got what could be a big load of snow on the way for Sunday.

Remember your sunscreen and your manners on the mountain this weekend! 

The Battle Mountain boys hockey team took down Chatfield, 2-1, to advance to the semi-finals in one of the most exciting games to ever hit the ice at Dobson Arena on Feb. 22, 2008. The Game of the Week is brought to you by Alpine Bank.

When it comes to avalanche danger, not many people know that their clothing could save their lives. That’s not to say there are magical, avalanche-proof jackets or sweaters out there. But there are boots, helmets, jackets, pants and belts made with RECCO avalanche reflectors that enhance the possibility of being found faster in a slide.

RECCO technology was developed in Sweden in the 1980s but has yet to establish a firm niche in North American mountain regions, although the systems have been incorporated in many popular brands of outerwear: The North Face, Marmot, Cloudveil and Quicksilver, not to mention Atomic and various other boot builders.

RECCO detectors are also used by ski area snow safety teams throughout Colorado, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Telluride, Aspen, Crested Butte and many others.

RECCO works on harmonic radar. The reflectors affixed to boots, helmets and apparel function in a similar fashion to an avalanche transmitter. Rescuers find them with a RECCO detector, but the process doesn’t interfere with beacon transmissions. RECCO can be used simultaneously with any other kind of avalanche rescue equipment.

“All we have to do is go out and search the area like you would with a beacon,” said Copper Mountain snow safety route leader Steve Kintigh, who is the RECCO liaison for Copper. “But beacons operate on an arc of magnetic energy and RECCO is a straight-line radar. It’s another tool to help find someone in an avalanche.”

While anyone playing in the backcountry should always have the standard avalanche safety equipment – shovel, probe, slope meter and beacons they know how to use, looking into wearing something with a RECCO reflector is an extra step should the worst unravel. And given the two individuals that lost their lives to avalanches in the East Vail Chutes in January and the fact that January, February and March are traditionally the highest-yielding months for slides in Colorado, backcountry enthusiasts need all the help they can get.

“Anybody that spends time in avalanche territory could benefit from RECCO,” Kintigh said. “It’s just another piece of equipment you can use, with no maintenance at all. If you’re in avalanche terrain, every little bit helps, for sure.”

For more information about RECCO, check out www.recco.com. Learn more about avalanche dangers and safety.

When there's lots of snow and lots of people, Vail visitors often set out for the backcountry. It's a thrill. It's a great escape. But beware. Skiing, riding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing in the backcountry always means avalanche danger on and under steep slopes.

An average of six people die in avalanches in Colorado every winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and hundreds of other slides, both natural and human-triggered, are reported every month.

Vail and Beaver Creek both have access gates to backcountry skiing and riding at various locations within the ski area. The signs leading to such are not joking when they're splattered with crossbones and warnings.

Nobody should enter the backcountry without the proper equipment and knowledge of avalanche dangers.

Avalanches can occur on slopes that are 25 degrees or steeper and usually happen on slopes measuring 35 to 45 degrees. They can also be triggered from below if there is a steep slope above. Snowpack is a huge factor in determining avalanche dangers. Backcountry travelers should always dig a snow pit in an area where they're about to ski, ride or snowshoe to observe the layers of snow. If heavier, denser snow is sitting on top of layers that are weak, loose and sugary, it's a sure sign of danger. Weather is also a factor.

The high winds around the Vail area can load snow onto weak layers and make them ripe to slide. Cornices and pillows are signs of heavy wind loading and slab dangers.

For updated avalanche forecasts and dangers, visit the CAIC website.

Tips for safety in the backcountry:

• Never go alone

• Always bring a beacon and know how to use it, a shovel, slope meter, probe, First Aid kit, map, compass, whistle, headlamp, repair kit, food, water and extra clothes

• Dig a pit and test the area you're going for snowpack stability

• Never ski or ride above another person

• Don't assume an area is safe just because there are tracks there

Pepi's Bar & Restaurant
231 E. Gore Creek Dr.
Vail, CO 81657
970-476-5626

If you haven't been to Pepi's in the heart of Vail Village, then you truly haven't experienced Vail. Here's a look at Pepi and Sheika Gramshammer and their authentic Austrian inn and restaurant.

The 17th annual Taste of Vail's Lamb Cook Off brought chefs from around the Valley to the Village to show off their recipes. Plum spoke with some of these chefs and a few patrons who were enjoying the deliciously prepared lamb.

When it comes to skis and cowboys, skijoring is one brand of winter Western you shouldn’t miss. And you’ll never beat a setting like Leadville, which hasn’t changed much in 100 years.

Despite its 60-year history, the annual Leadville skijoring competition, which kicks up again March 1-2, hasn’t changed much either.

“It’s really the same as it was way back then,” said Mary Jo Coppers, who has been involved in the event since 1950. “They don’t use wooden skis anymore. And no, they didn’t wear helmets back then.”

The horsemen, Coppers said, looked a little more like cowboys 50 years ago. But some still cling to those roots.

For those unversed in skijoring, it involves a team of horse and rider pulling a skier at the end of a rope. The horse and rider take off at full speed down Leadville’s main street – Harrison Ave. – while the skier hangs on for dear life, hitting massive jumps and spearing a series of rings. The fastest time wins, although if the skier misses a ring, his time is penalized.

“The horse is normally doing about 40 mph,” Coppers said. “And the skier is going faster than that, because he’s at the end of the rope. The best skiers start pulling up on the rope at the end of the course to get a faster time.”

Awestruck onlookers line the street every year to take in the action, which is usually replete with jaw-dropping crashes and close calls.

“One year – many, many years ago – I saw one of my boys go off the top of the jump and land in someone’s front yard,” Coppers recalled. “Another time, they did the lip of the jump wrong. The jump they were going off of was in front of the Manhattan bar. They could look into the second story window as they went off. Every single one of them landed on their backs in the middle of the street. Nobody finished until the ninth racer.”

Anyone with skiing skills and a solid spine can sign up for the Legend (45 years and older) or sport categories. The open teams compete for a cash purse and there are also children’s categories.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. March 1 and 2 at the Elks Club on Fifth Ave. Competition begins around 1 p.m. on both days. For more information, call 719-486-0739.

Ask any local about which season they love most in Vail, and you'll get the same reply: "Winter is great but summer is why we live here." Take in a refreshing eyeful of what's to adore about the valley's shorter season.

Vail Guides

Vail Summer Guide

Vail and Beaver Creek Hotels and Inns

Vail and Beaver Creek Restaurants

Vail and Beaver Creek Shopping

Colorado Department of Transportation representative Ken Wissell stopped by Fresh Tracks to talk about avalanche clean up and highway safety.

Beaver Creek’s mid-winter pick-me-up, Humor on the Slopes, has returned with more cartoonists, comedians and events that are sure to make even the most reserved of mountain dwellers chuckle. The laugh fest kicks off Thursday, Feburary 28 and runs throughout the weekend with events at VPAC, the Park Hyatt and even the Beaver Creek ice rink. This year’s New Yorker cartoonists include Matt Diffee, C. Covert Darbyshire, Drew Dernavich, Mort Gerberg, Paul Noth and Carolita Johnson, who will all participate in Humor’s signature events “KidTooning” and “Cartoons & Cocktails”. KidTooning allows children and New Yorker cartoonists to collaborate on a work of comedy while Cartoons & Cocktails features some improv cartooning for the more “mature” set. Additionally this year, the six esteemed guests will participate in “Cartoonists Unleashed”, an open forum in which the comedians will discuss the amusing life and times of New Yorker cartoonists. And of course, the ever-popular Cartoon Caption Contest is back and will be running all week long. The Contest gives aspiring jokesmiths an opportunity to provide the caption for works by The New Yorker cartoonists. Winners of the Contest will receive a copy of their cartoon autographed by cartoonist.

While The New Yorker cartoonists are certainly the centerpiece of Humor on the Slopes, they are by no means the entirety. As the festival has grown, so has the scope of humor. Like last year’s festival, Humor on the Slopes will feature stand-up comedy. The Queen of Mean Lisa Lampanelli will take the VPAC stage Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and the very funny Jim Gaffigan (we’re big fans of his Pale Force series on Late Night with Conan O’Brien) will play VPAC Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Humor on the slopes will also feature a sneak preview of the new Uma Thurman comedy “The Accidental Husband” featuring Colin Firth and Jeffery Dean Morgan. The screening will take place Friday at Vilar at 8:30 p.m., just following “Cartoonists Unleashed”. Both events are free but tickets are required and available at the Vilar Performing Arts Center box office.

For a complete schedule of events and ticket prices, check beavercreek.snow.com.

Enjoy Plum’s coverage of “KidTooning” and “Cartoons & Cocktails” at Humor on the Slopes 2007.

The Honda Session Slopestyle rocked Vail in early February, boasting an 80 foot jump, Chas Guldemond's 1440, and plenty of big flames.

Cross-country skiing is always a warm, aerobic alternative to downhill, but how do you know where to take your skinny skis in Vail? Luckily, the valley is home to three Nordic centers – in Vail, Beaver Creek and Cordillera. However, sometimes it’s nice to get out of the tracks and explore.

We’ve come up with a few options for free places to recreate on skinny skis:

 

• Vail Pass recreation path from East Vail:

Take the East Vail exit from Interstate 70 and drive East on Bighorn Road until it ends. Park and go under the highway. Needless to say, the recreation path is under about four feet of snow, but you’ll notice many cross-country ski tracks. The outgoing pitch is a gradual uphill workout and the return trip can be either a swift glide with new snow or a speed track on hard-packed conditions.

• Davos Trail in West Vail

Take the West Vail exit and go north on Chamonix Road, take a left at the stop sign and a right on Davos. Park in the cul-de-sac. This route is best on new snow days, as it’s a bit steep for the first two miles and can be a little fast for skinny skis on the descent if it gets too snow-packed. At the radio tower at the end of the trail, you’ll catch breathtaking views of the entire valley.

• Red Sandstone Road

Take the main Vail exit to the North Frontage Road and travel West. Take a right on Red Sandstone and drive up the switchbacks until you reach the gate, where you can park. This road, which leads to Piney Lake in the dry months, is closed to car traffic in the winter. It’s also groomed sometimes and can be a great place to classic OR skate ski.

• Lake Creek in Edwards:

Take the Edwards exit from I-70 and travel south into town. Take a right on Highway 6 and a left on Lake Creek Road and travel about three miles, staying right as the road splits onto W. Lake Creek Road. The trailhead is on your right. You might want to walk your skis up the first steep pitch of the trail, but then it flattens out and becomes a forested, gradual uphill glide.

• Camp Hale

Yes, this was the training grounds for the 10th Mountain Division, and remnants of the camp makes for fascinating scenery as you glide through the flat expanse of shelters and roads, many of which are groomed and perfect for skate-skiing. Take the Minturn Exit from I-70, travel through Minturn and continue up Battle Mountain about 12 miles until you see Camp Hale on your left.

With fantastic snow and new sights all over Vail and Beaver Creek, we caught a few frames and plenty of smiles in February 2008.

Plum's Erik Williams sits down with Mia Stockdale of the Vail Nordic Center to talk about the Center's many fantastic snowshoeing and cross country skiing programs and trails.

Enjoy Plum's coverage the 2008 Honda Session Steel & Sky competition where riders from all over the world fight for 1st place via innovative jumps and rail tricks.

Your pooch needs almost as much maintenance as your child. Dr. Charles Meynier from Eagle-Vail Animal Hospital brought some furry friends by Fresh Tracks on Feb. 16, 2008, to let dog owners know what it takes to keep their best buddy happy and healthy.

From Bali to Vail. Dan Telleen and Carolyn Tyler of Karats visited Fresh Tracks on Feb. 16, 2008, to demonstrate some of their ornate jewelry, including Tyler's pieces inspired by her life in Bali.

Bowling may not reach the magnitude of skiing in Vail, but it will at least be another local option once the Solaris project is completed.

By the winter of 2009-2010, Solaris will dominate the center of Vail Village, once occupied by Crossroads. Sure, right now the area is still a giant hole, but according to Solaris director of sales and marketing Craig Cohn, development is happening quickly and in less than two years, the space will include a large ice skating rink (converting to a fountain in the summer), a 10-lane bowling alley, a three-screen movie theater, three high-end restaurants, a handful of new shops and 77 residential units.

The residential units range from luxury two-bedrooms to two-story penthouses with mountain views. The list of amenities reads like palace menu. They offer everything from world-class concierge to childcare to limousine services. Prices for the new residences start at $2.3 million and reach $19 million, while club membership featuring fractional ownership goes for $1.9 million.

“We really wanted to provide more possibilities for residents and visitors to Vail,” Cohn said. “The design allows for more activities and alternatives for people on bad-weather days, or whenever people feel like doing something new and different.”

Solaris has yet to reveal the specific shops and restaurants included in the project, but regardless, the vision is to bolster the entire dynamic of Vail Village.

“I want to create effortless mountain living with metropolitan convenience, unsurpassed quality, amenities and service,” said Solaris developer Peter Knobel on the company’s Website: solarisvail.com. “I want to change the way people live in Vail Village.”

You may have already noticed a number of new shops and restaurants that sprung up in the village last summer and fall – a new Luca Bruno store, a gourmet food market, a crepe shop, the newly renovated Verbatim bookstore. Not to mention the mammoth, brand new Arrabelle village in Lionshead sporting an old European look.

Keep an eye on the sky and an ear to the ground. Vail is changing.

The season has kept a steady and satisfying progression, and while the temperatures may be mild, things will be heating up this week on Channel 16.

Plum keeps up our coverage of Vail Symposium’s fantastic Unlimited Adventures series and will be debuting two new segments this week featuring two-time World Extreme Skiing champion Chris Davenport, and Phil and Susan Ershler, the first couple to climb the Seven Summits together. Maybe music moves your soul? Plum’s coverage of the Disco Biscuits, The Temptations, and Stockholm Syndrome’s Bud Light Street Beat concert will all be on screen on Channel 16.

“What about the snow?” you’re asking. Well, never fear. Plum’s excellent and in-depth coverage of the 2008 Honda Session and the always exciting Eagle Snowmobile Drag Races will premiere this week as well.

The Alpine Bank Game of the Week will feature the BMHS Huskies hockey team vs. the Chatfield Chargers.

Why do good people make bad ethical decisions? Tell us, Dr. Steve Salbu. Dr. Salbu from the Georgia Institute of Technology stopped by Fresh Tracks on Feb. 16, 2008, to discuss the science of bad decisions.

Craig Cohn of Solaris stopped by Fresh Tracks on Feb. 16, 2008, to discuss what's in store for the Solaris project in the works at Crossroads. Find out what luxuries lie ahead for the new center of Vail Village.

Jeniece Pettitt brings us the highlights of February 2008 in and around Vail. Catch the action from Vail's Honda Session and Copper Mountain's U.S. Freeskiing Open and some insight from filmmaker Michael Brown and Vail's first resident Dick Hauserman.

Polly Perkins of Cascade Resort and Spa's Aria Spa stopped by Fresh Tracks to fill us in on ski stretches. We all know what it feels like to be stiff and sore before and after a day on the mountain. Take a few minutes to stretch and recover faster.